Editorial: Let's not double down on gambling

Gaining more revenue for Indiana by creating more losers from elsewhere makes neither financial nor social sense. Let's hope state Senate President Pro Tempore David Long's proposal to explore such a step gets no farther than the talk stage.

With Hoosier casino revenues down and competitors in place or planned in three adjoining states, Long warns of "an all-out assault on the system that Indiana has implemented, which was to take other people's money." His candor, at least, is refreshing.

The Fort Wayne Republican is offering no specifics at this point; but there can't be many options for dealing with an inevitable tit for tat: Indiana sited 10 of its 13 casinos in border counties, and neighbors are doing the same.

To loosen the reins on Indiana's casinos would amount to expansion of gambling, meaning more lost wages by Hoosiers as well as outsiders. It also would deepen the state's dependence on a form of "voluntary taxation" that lacks a solid base, requires unseemly salesmanship and carries heavy social costs.

"Any expansion of gambling, to us, means expansion of lower-income people as well," says Dan Gangler, spokesman for the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church, a leading gambling opponent. "It's giving them false hopes and it's an unstable form of revenue for government."

Gaming taxes are the state's third-largest revenue source, though they make up just 4 percent of the budget. As foes point out, taxpayers lose much of their gambling "earnings" to public assistance, since a disproportionate number of bettors are those least able to afford losing. Finding new ways to go back to that shallow well is tempting to tax-averse legislators, but it makes better politics than economics.

After the state hired a private firm to run the Hoosier Lottery, it was learned that the company's marketing plan included the addition of many discount retailers -- again skewing toward the low-income. While the state insists it will demand social responsibility as well as increased profits, the fact is results have been disappointing for the only other state -- Illinois -- to privatize its lottery.

With gambling overall, the odds for true success seem anything but favorable. Lawmakers should look for alternatives rather than raising the bet.

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Editorial: Let's not double down on gambling

Gaining more revenue for Indiana by creating more losers from elsewhere makes neither financial nor social sense. Let's hope state Senate President Pro Tempore David Long's proposal to explore such a